John William "Billy" Cox in the words of his coach Wallace Wade was "unquestionably the greatest passer and one of the greatest passer and one of the greatest players I have ever coached." Cox a native of Mt. Airy, NC, owned Duke's career total offense record for 20 years before it was surpassed by passer-supreme Leo Hart in 1970. In 1950, he ranked second in the country in total offense with 1995 yards and was eighth in passing with 1428 yards. As team captain, he led the team to a fine 7-3 record and earned All-America honors in the process. He was a two-time selection to the All-Southern conference team in 1949 and 1950 and graduated from Duke with five individual season or career marks. One of his greatest games came against Georgia Tech in his senior year when he rallied the Blue Devils from a 21-0 halftime deficit to a 30-21 victory. In that game he completed 12 of 22 passes for 133 yards and rushed for 144 yards to give him a total offense record of 277 yards.